Chapter 135 Spread of Infection
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
I left the arena building site and walked home alone. The sun had already set, and light spilled from windows onto the dark road. The faint sounds of families talking and laughing from nearby houses lifted my spirits.
My steps grew lighter on their own. The moon had appeared, soft and blue, and I began to hum without thinking.
”Hey, young man. A moment of your time?”
Someone called out just then. No one else was around, so it had to be me. I stopped and turned.
”Well now, to notice me at once… you have some promise, young one.”
Two women stood there. The one who spoke had dusky skin and long platinum-blond hair. She was tall for a woman, wore a gray suit with a coat draped over her shoulders, and glasses hid her eye color. The way she looked at me felt sharp, perhaps because her voice carried a kind of grand power.
Behind her, a shorter woman in a red, soldier-like uniform fidgeted nervously. She had fair skin and messy blond curls. She looked anxious as she watched us, but her movements were precise. She was likely a guard, though her charge seemed too formidable to control.
”Um… you mean me, right?” I asked.
”There is no one else here, is there?” the tall woman said.
Her “you” came out more like “you, cur,” which was rare to hear. Still, she seemed like some noble. I had never seen her type around here. Maybe she wanted directions.
”Right. Sorry. Do you need help finding a place?”
”Oh? And why do you think that?”
”At night, two women calling out to a man on the road is not very safe. If you still choose to do that, I think you must need something, like directions.”
She lifted the corner of her mouth in a sharp smile at my answer.
”Not bad. Then will you guide us?”
”I don’t mind, but… you should think about the risk of telling a stranger where you will stay.”
The tall woman let out a small laugh she couldn’t hold back. She really was a powerful lady.
”Sadly, I am not so cynical as to suspect someone kind enough to warn me. And if anything happens, this one behind me will put you down.”
”Ah, h-hello,” the guard said, bowing while scratching her head. She was humble, yet her eyes watched my every move. Sharp. She must be very good.
”If that is fine, I will guide you. What is the name of your inn?”
”Hmm. This one.”
She handed me a letter. The writing was very neat and in an old language. You needed a hobby in old words or a skill like archaeology to read this.
”…Old script. People still use it?” I said.
”And a young man who can read it is also rare,” she replied, with a teasing tone. I felt I could never win against her.
”I know the place. It is a bit far from here, so we will need to walk.”
”Fine. We are not in my own land, so I knew we could not call for a carriage. I am older now, but my legs are still strong.”
She did not look that old. Better not ask.
I led them toward the high-class inn near the business district. It was far from the nobles’ area where I had been walking. They must have entered from the gate near the nobles’ area. At this hour, almost no one walked there. They might have gotten lost.
”Walking in silence is dull,” the tall woman said at last.
”Uh, well…,” the guard muttered, unsure. Poor woman. She must deal with this a lot.
The guard stayed alert for any attack. I was not sure if her lady noticed or simply planned to beat any attackers herself. She felt strong enough to do it.
”I do not expect you to tell a fun story,” the tall woman said without mercy.
Harsh. The guard’s shoulders drooped. I felt sorry for her.
”Still, since you asked me to guide you, tell me your thoughts about this city,” the lady said.
”Eh? Me?”
”I am sorry, I am sorry,” the guard said, bowing to me as if it was her fault.
She reminded me of a policewoman from a manga about an ‘immortal king’. Hard-working and long-suffering.
”Well… I was born here and only know this city.”
”That is fine. I want the real voice of someone who lives here.”
I wondered what to say. Life here meant living with the dungeon (monster maze). There were Explorers and the Crafters who supported them. The old fort that watched the dungeon was now an academy. The city festival would begin soon. I listed each topic, and answered their questions along the way.
The guard asked things too, and she often laughed or looked shocked.
”Then tell me a personal thought,” the tall woman said when we had covered a lot. Her voice pressed on me, as if lies would not be allowed, yet she seemed a little scared too.
”What do you think of ‘vampires’—or, in a wider sense, the night-dweller folk?”
”They are a race with different traits,” I answered at once.
”That was fast,” the guard said in surprise. My answer and speed seemed to shock both of them.
”You hold no hate for the night-dweller folk?” the lady asked.
”I guess I have a little, even if I do not notice it. But this city belongs to a land ruled by night-dwellers. It is too late to hate them now.”
Also, my partner is a succubus (dream demon) named Ethelena, a night-dweller. She is better than humans in some ways, weaker in others. I take all of that as part of her. Maybe that is only for Ethelena and the rest of my party, though.
”This country made ties with the Ever-Night land that stayed closed for so long. Any thoughts?”
”…The ‘immortal king’ moves too fast. I can only say that. The leaders must have seen some gain from it. For a common person like me, I would rather we be friends than start a war and suffer great loss.”
I had no idea what culture or tools that king’s land had. New ideas would bring change, good or bad. We would deal with it.
”I question that ‘moves too fast’ part,” the lady said.
”He does. He shows up in front of you out of nowhere, and the next morning he is inside your house drinking tea. Too free. Gives me a headache.”
Both women looked at me as if I had said something unreal. Were they close to that king?
”Th-that sounds hard,” the lady said.
”We can talk, and our moods match in a way…,” I said.
”They match?” the guard asked, half shocked.
The lady sounded a bit sorry for me. The guard sounded tired. Yes, they must know him.
Talking like this, we reached the inn. Better leave before trouble found me.
”This is the place. Good night,” I said.
”It felt fast. I thank you, young man,” the lady said.
”Th-thank you so much!” the guard added.
They thanked me. It was not hard, and the talk was fun. We would likely never meet again, but I should value a once-in-a-lifetime meeting.
I slipped away and walked home. This time, no more strange meetings.
”I’m back,” I said as I entered.
”Welcome-degozaru, my lord,” Ichika said.
”Ta-!” Cornremu cried.
Ichika and Cornremu greeted me. Somehow, they felt more like wives than Ethelena did.
”I’m back. Did anything happen?”
”No big trouble-degozaru. A friend only brushed Hinagiku with a draw-and-cut move,” Ichika said.
”…You’re kidding.”
”It’s true-degozaru.”
In this world, the gap in status was like a wall. The only way to pass it was with smart moves in a fight. Even if you could not break someone’s guard, if they read your swing wrong, speed could win and let your blade touch.
But the skill needed for that was huge. I could never do it.
”Still, he pushed his muscles too far, so he may feel pain tomorrow-degozaru,” she added.
”I’m shocked the cost was only that, and he still reached Hinagiku.”
Hinagiku was the top of the Karasu Tengu, known for great speed. She was likely faster than Ethelena now, beyond any human limit. Even if she held back, hitting her was crazy. That fool must be a monster.
”By the way, where are our lord and the lady of the house-degozaru?” Ichika asked.
”Oh! I forgot.”
Her words reminded me, and I rushed to the living room. Cipher, waiting on his perch, gave a happy chirp as I asked him to guide the Torakuma couple.
”Sorry, Cipher. Please go and bring the acting head of the family and my mother-in-law so they don’t get lost.”
He chirped high once, then flew to the window. I opened it, and he soared into the night.
”Thanks, Ichika. You made me remember.”
”You are welcome-degozaru.”
She answered with a happy smile. Small thanks like this mattered.
Ichika sniffed me a few times. Ah. Sweat.
”I will let you wash off your sweat-degozaru, my lord.”
”So I do smell…”
After all that building work, dust and sweat would cling to me. Maybe the noble lady and her guard had smelled it too.
”Alright, I’ll shower first.”
”Hurry-degozaru, my lord, before the succubus loses her reason…”
”You said that before.”
It wasn’t like my sweat was a succubus body fluid. Could she really get excited from my smell? Still, I should not ignore her hint. She had told me I smelled. If a future daughter said that to me, I would die on the spot. I had to fix this now.
I grabbed fresh clothes from my room and washed up in the second-floor shower. The medicated body soap turned brown as it took the dirt away. No wonder I smelled.
When I came downstairs, clean at last, I ran into Ichika, who was ready to wash my back. Close call.
”Muu… my lord, using the second-floor shower you never use is unfair-degozaru?”
”I usually use the first-floor family bath with you and Ethelena. If I want to finish fast, the second floor is quicker.”
”I could not wash your back-degozaru!”
”That’s what I was avoiding.”
If I lost control around a partner carrying a child, that would be a huge problem.
”Just so you know, my desire is high even compared to average. If I took a bath with you now, I might not hold back. That would be bad for you, right?”
”Muu… I feel happy to be cared for, but sad we cannot touch. My head may boil-degozaru.”
Her little groan was cute, so I held her and patted her head. Her ears, once stiff, went flat, and her tail wagged fast. She was really cute.
”So, is there anything I can help with for dinner?” I asked.
”No-degozaru. If I focus, I can finish everything in three hours. Cornremu helps-degozaru.”
At her name, Cornremu puffed her chest. She really supported Ichika well.
We waited in the living room for Ethelena, the Torakuma couple, and the others to return. Ichika lay with her head on my lap, a light cover over her. Cornremu had brought it, and I felt proud the golem was learning to care. I took out my papers and continued the old-word translation I had paused earlier. My right hand held the notes while my left stroked Ichika’s head, and I used a magitech word tool to record my work. It went well this way.
By the time I finished that old text and a few others, I checked my status and saw “archaeology IV” had reached max. My master must have pushed the skill up before leaving. The old text and the letter I read earlier must have helped.
Should I raise the rank or learn a new skill? The merchant guild leader had more old texts, so maybe ranking up was best.
”GolemCrafting III” had also reached max. Likely from working with the golems on the arena. I raised its rank too and gained “Golem Boost I”. It raised each golem’s base status, except movement, by ten. That seemed very strong.
Ichika shifted and let out a tiny groan. I hurried to pat her head again. Her ears and tail eased, and her breath softened. If she was tired, she needed real rest.
”We’re back!”
”We have returned, noja!”
”Thank you for having me.”
Ethelena, Yohira, and Tatia entered. Tatia must have come for dinner.
”Welcome back… Tatia? What’s wrong?”
Tatia looked a bit down. I asked with worry, but for some reason Ethelena and Yohira answered with proud smiles.
”Chi-chan was proved to be the same as us!” Ethelena said.
”We are bound by fate to join the Lewd Alliance under our lord, noja!” Yohira cried.
”I don’t want to understand that.”
Or rather, I refused to.
With a sigh, Tatia took out an item from her inventory. Gold strings and white armor. A white bikini armor.
—Full Armor “Dragon Lewdmail”—
HP +50
Mana +20
Skill Power +20
Physical Attack +15
Physical Defense +40
Magic Attack +10
Magic Defense +30
Speed +20
Movement +1
Special Ability: Water Resist, Wind Resist, Women Only
Of course, when I used Appraisal, it was a lewd armor. The elements told me it was made from ice dragon scales. On Tatia, the colors would suit a holy knight… though with that much skin, it was more like a “naughty knight.”
As we talked, Ichika slowly sat up with a sleepy groan. Oops. We were too loud.
”…Welcome back-degozaru,” she murmured.
”We’re back, Ichi!” Ethelena said.
”We have returned, Ichika. You slept well, noja?” Yohira said.
”Thank you for having me,” Tatia added.
They all replied to her greeting. After a moment to wake, Ichika stood and walked to the kitchen.
”I will finish dinner now-degozaru, so you three should take a bath-degozaru.”
The three girls agreed to Ichika’s words, then tried to drag me to the hinoki bath. I fought free and ran. I had no idea when the acting head of the family would return. If they found out I bathed with Yohira, I’d be cut down by her “Dragon-Tongue” blade.
I went to help Ichika in the kitchen, where she was grilling fish.
”…Autumn knife-fish?” I asked.
”As expected of you, my lord. You knew-degozaru?”
It was hard to feel the seasons in this city, but it was autumn in Hizuru now. We could not get autumn knife-fish here, so the acting head must have caught them.
I stood beside Ichika to make miso soup. She had already prepared most of it. It was clam miso soup, with the clams already cleaned and the nameko (slimy mushroom for miso soup) ready. I rubbed the clams together to wash the dirt from their shells, then put them and the nameko into a pot. I added kelp—also likely from the acting head—for stock. I skimmed the foam, then melted the miso before it boiled. One small boil, then done.
Ichika’s fish had perfect grill marks. I grated daikon with a mithril grater—probably brought by the acting head—and sliced a lemon from the small tree in the living room. Soy sauce was good, but a citrus touch was needed for autumn knife-fish.
”…We have returned,” came a voice behind us.
I turned. My mother-in-law and the acting head of the family were staring at the fish.
”It will be ready soon. Please sit and wait. Bring your own drinks,” I said.
They sat with unhappy faces. Aren’t you nobles? Show a little class… well, I understood.
Soon the three who had bathed came back, and we began to eat.
”…Now that I think of it, Hinagiku is not here?” my mother-in-law asked.
”She’s been eating at my childhood friend’s house lately. Maybe she plans to marry him,” I said.
”Pffft!?” The acting head spat out miso soup. Too strong?
I tasted it. The deep miso and clam flavor filled my mouth, and the tiny nameko slid between my lips. I caught it with my tongue and bit. A soft chew, then rich mushroom taste. Not bad for my work.
”Nameko and tofu would be good too-degozaru,” Ichika said.
”You’re right. Plain tofu would be nice. You must like fried tofu, huh?”
”My favorite-degozaru.”
Fried tofu was a fox’s treasure, after all.
”Why talk of other dishes while eating?” the acting head asked.
”Well, our meals are mostly like this.”
”Yes. It helps us choose tomorrow’s menu,” Yohira added.
Tatia made the most requests. Food at the knight school dorm was strict due to mana lessons and the portions small, so she liked lighter tastes. Our food was strong to us, yet she found it light. What were they feeding her over there?
Hinagiku, who often gave food reports, almost never asked for anything. She only said, “Please make something tasty,” and enjoyed anything. Easy to cook for.
”If we served fried tofu or chilled tofu, the acting head would be happy with a cup of sun sake,” I said.
”Tatara, this one would enjoy a drink with only salt,” my mother-in-law said.
”She’s a bigger drinker than I thought.”
Since she didn’t deny it, it must be true. The acting head took a bite of the fish and then drank sake with joy.
”Tatara, what is this white snow?” Ethelena asked.
”That’s grated daikon. A Hizuru root veg. It cuts the oil and feels fresh with rich food.”
”I see… munch.”
She used a spoon to put a little grated daikon on the fish, cut it with her fork, and ate.
”It looks sweet, but it has a bit of spice. Still, it’s tasty.”
”To understand that shows you have good taste, Ethelena-dono,” the acting head said.
I squeezed lemon into a little soy sauce and poured it on a piece of fish. I set it on rice to take off some oil, then ate. The rich fat met the lemon’s sour touch, holding back the heavy taste. I followed with a bite of rice, which balanced the flavor even more. A sip of miso soup washed my mouth clean for the next bite.
The most surprising thing was that it wasn’t just grilled fish. They had stuffed sliced ginger inside before grilling, so there was almost no smell. Eating it with the ginger was a joy. As expected of Ichika.
After dinner, Ichika rested while Yohira and I washed dishes side by side. Only plates were left, but the fish oil had set and was stubborn.
”Hmm. Without hot water to loosen the fat, it is hard to clean, noja,” Yohira said.
”We could have left them in soap water, and I’d wash them in the morning,” I said.
”Then my skill with housework would not grow. If we skip small steps, we learn nothing.”
”That’s a value from your dance and sword training?”
”Most likely. I loved both, so I polished even tiny things… Looking back, maybe I was a bit mad,” she said with a small, sad smile.
Was that bad?
”After I forged my first sword, I loved it so much I made one a day,” I said.
”Heh. Tatara has been Tatara since young, noja.”
”People don’t change that easily.”
She laughed. Maybe she felt we were alike, and the air grew warm.
I wondered about the four thousand swords I made as a child. My mother-in-law and that jerk fought over them, but I never learned who won.
”When we enjoy something, we build it up. When it’s hard, but needed, we still do it. That’s the surest way,” I said.
”Yes. I cried many times when I could not dance like my mother. But I kept trying and learned. Becoming able was fun, so I came to enjoy the small steps,” she said.
”Then we tackle bigger things and enjoy that too.”
”To turn what we could not do into what we can—that is our best joy, noja.”
We really were alike. Our process was the same.
”Strange. Our hearts are the same, noja?”
”Maybe that’s why we were drawn to each other.”
”Fool,” she said, kicking my hip.
Did I say something wrong?
”Do not woo me so lightly, or I will push you down.”
”I didn’t mean it like that…”
Her standards were too sharp. I had no idea what pleased them.
When we finished the dishes and everyone rested, Cipher landed on my shoulder. No letter on his leg. That meant we could go exploring tomorrow.
”…Tatara-dono, what is that spirit bird?”
I was petting Cipher on my shoulder when the acting head of the family spoke with an uneasy tone. Did Cipher do something? He was a good boy.
”Tatara-san, this person drew her sword because the spirit bird suddenly appeared in front of her. Please explain,” my mother-in-law said.
”Oh… I forgot to explain.”
”I told you to speak properly!?”
Right. My bad. From her view, a large unknown bird appeared to guard my mother-in-law, so she drew her sword. Shamir and Est had been scared the first time too… maybe Cipher was scary to people who didn’t know him.
”This is Cipher, a carrier-bird golem I made.”
”…A very large bird golem. How does it fly?”
”‘Flight’ formulas on the wings and ‘anti-gravity’ on the body. So it’s almost weightless. Forged mithril for the frame and an Alchemist’s Egg as the core give it decent ability.”
”…Decent?” both of them echoed.
My mother-in-law had clearly used Appraisal. As for the acting head… did Cipher dodge her strikes? If Cipher focused only on evasion, he was absurd.
”I sent him so you wouldn’t get lost.”
”That helped. The town looks different by night, so our memory of the route wasn’t certain,” my mother-in-law said.
She had stopped the acting head and followed Cipher because Appraisal showed I made him. If her Appraisal rank had been low, this could have gone wrong.
”He seems very friendly, especially to you, Tatara-san,” she added.
”Huh, to you too?”
”No, not me…” She looked toward the acting head. The acting head looked away. Cipher seemed to like her.
”He—he suddenly perched on my shoulder and rubbed his head on me!?”
”You even let out a pathetic scream, remember?”
”Do not say that!?”
Maybe she feared birds.
”Well, thank you for not breaking him. With your ‘Dragon-Tongue,’ one slash could end him.”
”Muu…”
Better not drag this on. I thanked her for not destroying him, and she grumbled.
”Oh, that’s right,” my mother-in-law said, clapping.
”The merchant guild master left a message: the brewing guild wants one more of the device you made.”
”The brewing guild? Understood.”
Another still. They must expect higher needs next year—or the alcohol god sent an oracle. I’d go exploring tomorrow and deliver the day after.
* * *
”Tatara, got a moment?”
I’d just finished forging Sky-Cleaver and was about to wash up when Yohira spoke.
”What’s up?”
”I reached level 50 today.”
”No way.”
She fought on the front line, but that was fast.
”As I said before, I used the new slot to learn Steal.”
”Good. That helps.”
Ethelena was stealing most drops, but relying on one person was bad.
”So, how should I improve my status?” she asked.
”Can I see your current status?”
”Go ahead.”
I used Appraisal:
Lv 50/50
HP 500 (500)
Mana 51 (200)
Skill Power 255 (300) +64
Physical Atk 195 (250)
Physical Def 161 (250)
Magic Atk 39 (100)
Magic Def 59 (100) +36
Speed 143 (200)
Luck 47 (100)
Movement 15 (99) +1
Ridiculous. No point raising Mana—better for Ethelena and Tatia. I checked my inventory. With Ethelena’s hard work, we had over 80 Luck-up items. Why?
”First, raise Luck. Steal scales with Luck.”
”I see. That makes sense.”
I handed her 53 Luck items, bringing her to 100. With her passive Guard Counter triggering multiple Steal checks per swing, odds would rise. If she later learned the Pillage passive, the check would use her attack stat—over 400 with weapon—so she could out-steal even Ethelena. Illegal.
”So, you’ll explore tomorrow?”
”Yeah. I need levels too or I’ll struggle past the 50th floor.”
All my stats were above 100, so I could survive. The problem: I lacked attack skills. I had skipped skills like Guard Counter, Charge, or All-Out because a crafter “didn’t need them.” But my life was on the line. I relied too much on the party.
”If my level won’t go higher, can I borrow gear that boosts stats?” Yohira asked.
”Then this, of course.”
I pulled out the familiar Alchemist’s Egg. HP, Mana, Skill Power up, plus 50% regen per minute—nothing beat it.
”…I’m used to it now, but it’s still absurd,” she sighed.
”True.”
If level-up gains weren’t random, exploring with this equipped would be safest.
”No other gear for now. Maybe a levitation stone for flight?”
”No need. I’d like magic defense… but…”
”You can absorb elemental magic. Need it?”
”…No, I suppose not.”
Still, if it eased her mind, I could weave a mithril-silver cloak for magic defense. The real issue: we needed many stat-up items. One person needed 50+ to hit caps… wild.
Notes:
• Ichika – The fox girl. Kunoichi. Virgincest⚠️, becomes pregnant immediately.
• Cornremu – TataraGolem; wears red scarf (*”Ta-!” greetings*).
• Hinagiku – A tengu woman as Ranka’s potential companion. She stays with Tatara’s group after travels. Joins household scenes only. Linked to Ranka by shared gluttony jokes. No direct tie to Tatara beyond cohabitation. Cheerful eater.
• Cipher – Tatara’s familiar, sent to guard Tatia.
• Yohira – Torakuma’s first name. Oni warrior.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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